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Scientists say that for the first time, they have observed the effects of gravity on antimatter.
科学家表示，他们首次观察到了重力对反物质的影响。
Matter includes all the things we can see around us.
物质包括我们周围所有我们能看到的东西。
Antimatter is thought to mirror all forms of normal matter.
反物质被认为是所有形式正常物质的反状态。
But antimatter has the opposite electrical charge and magnetic properties as matter, the U.S. Department of Energy explains.
但美国能源部解释说，反物质具有与物质相反的电荷和磁性。
Antimatter remains a mysterious substance.
反物质仍然是一种神秘的物质。
Scientists believe it is as old as the universe itself.
科学家认为，反物质和宇宙本身一样古老。
Current scientific theories suggest that about 13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang event created an equal amount of matter and antimatter.
目前的科学理论表明，大约在138亿年前，宇宙大爆炸事件产生了等量的物质和反物质。
The Big Bang is the explosion many scientists believe created the universe.
宇宙大爆炸是许多科学家认为创造了宇宙的爆炸。
But scientists say there appears to be very little antimatter in the universe today, with almost none on Earth.
但科学家表示，如今宇宙中似乎几乎没有反物质，地球上也几乎没有反物质。
"Half the universe is missing," said Jeffrey Hangst, a member of the experimental team.
实验小组成员杰弗里·汉斯特说：“宇宙消失了一半”。
The antimatter observation was carried out at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva, Switzerland.
反物质观测是在瑞士日内瓦附近的欧洲核子研究组织进行的。
The researchers were part of the international Antihydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus (ALPHA) project.
这些研究人员是国际反氢激光物理仪器项目的一部分。
CERN says the ALPHA group was formed to carry out experiments on antimatter.
欧洲核子研究组织表示，国际反氢激光物理仪器组织成立的目的是进行反物质实验。
ALPHA's work involves making, capturing and studying antihydrogen atoms.
国际反氢激光物理仪器组织的工作包括制造、捕获和研究反氢原子。
The goal of the center is to learn more about the mysterious properties of antimatter.
该中心的目标是更多地了解反物质的神秘性质。
The researchers wanted to find out whether gravity caused antimatter to fall towards the center of the Earth in the same way as normal matter.
研究人员想弄清楚重力是否会导致反物质像正常物质一样向地球中心坠落。
This idea agrees with physicist Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.
这一观点与物理学家阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦的广义相对论一致。
This theory proposed that gravity is caused by a curving of space and time.
这一理论认为，重力是由时空的弯曲造成的。
Scientists at CERN first produced antimatter in 1996 in an experiment that created antihydrogen.
欧洲核子研究组织的科学家于1996年在一次制造反氢的实验中首次制造出了反物质。
To study gravity's effect on antimatter in the laboratory, the ALPHA team built a 25-centimeter-long container placed on its end, with magnets at the top and bottom.
为了在实验室中研究重力对反物质的影响，国际反氢激光物理仪器组织的一个研究团队建造了一个25厘米长的容器，其顶部和底部装有磁铁。
Then, scientists placed about 100 very cold hydrogen atoms into the "magnetic trap."
然后，科学家将大约100个非常冷的氢原子放入“磁陷阱”中。
During the experiment, researchers said the antihydrogen particles were moving around at a speed of about 100 meters a second.
在实验中，研究人员表示，反氢粒子的移动速度约为每秒100米。
When the strength of the magnets was reduced, the particles were able to escape the container.
当磁铁的强度降低时，反氢粒子就能够逃离容器。
The scientists said their result demonstrates that gravity causes antimatter to fall toward the center of the Earth.
科学家表示，他们的结果表明，重力导致反物质向地球中心坠落。
The researchers carried out several experiments that they said confirmed their findings.
研究人员进行了几项实验，他们说这些实验证实了他们的研究结论。
Hangst, who leads operations at ALPHA, spoke to the French news agency AFP.
领导国际反氢激光物理仪器组织行动的汉斯特接受了法国通讯社法新社的采访。
He said that the research ruled out that gravity pushes antihydrogen away from the center of the Earth.
他说，这项研究排除了重力将反氢推离地球中心的可能性。
But, he added, it does not prove that antimatter behaves exactly the same way as normal matter.
但是，他补充说，这并不能证明反物质的行为方式与正常物质完全相同。
Hangst said his team plans to carry out more experiments to learn more about other behaviors of antimatter.
汉斯特说，他的团队计划进行更多的实验，以更多地了解反物质的其他行为。
Marco Gersabeck is a physicist who works at CERN but was not involved in the ALPHA research.
Marco Gersabeck是一名在欧洲核子研究组织工作的物理学家，但他没有参与国际反氢激光物理仪器组织的研究。
He told AFP he sees the findings as "a huge milestone" in antimatter studies.
他告诉法新社，他认为这些研究结论是反物质研究的“一个巨大里程碑”。
But he added it marks just the beginning of deeper research efforts on gravity's effect on antimatter.
但他补充说，这只是人们对重力对反物质影响的更深入研究工作的开始。
Other attempts to better understand antimatter include using CERN's Large Hadron Collider to investigate unusual particles called "beauty quarks."
更好地了解反物质的其他尝试包括使用欧洲核子研究组织的大型强子对撞机来研究被称为“美夸克”的不寻常粒子。
And there is an experiment on the International Space Station that seeks to catch antimatter in cosmic rays.
国际空间站上也有一项旨在捕捉宇宙射线中的反物质的实验。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
